Driver’s License Suspension for Failure to Appear in Court
A court-ordered suspension for “Failure to Appear” in court on an open criminal or traffic matter can lead to an indefinite license suspension. This suspension continues until a driver appears in court, which is sometimes only possible by posting bail on an open warrant. This license ‘hold’ can prohibit a driver from renewing his or her license, or from obtaining a license in most of the country.
Restoring a License from a Failure to Appear Suspension
Countless times, the license restoration attorneys at our firm have seen new clients calling about tickets dating back to the late 80’s or early 90’s that are preventing them from applying for a license in New Jersey, Florida, or some other state. The only resolution is to have your day in court and address the outstanding violation(s) head-on. The following are the steps to take to handle the Failure to Appear restoration in the most timely fashion.
1. Find Out Where Your Failure to Appear Suspension is From
Sometimes, a driver will find out their license is suspended from tickets that were issued years ago, but they cannot recall where the ticket(s) came from. If your license was suspended for a failure to appear in court, or any other reason unknown to you, the first step is to call the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission at (609) 292-6500. A representative will be able to tell you which courts have outstanding matters to be addressed.
2. Find Out What the Underlying Charges are that Led to a Failure to Appear
Once you determine from the NJ MVC what courts have open matters, you can then contact the respective court and figure out what the charges are, whether they are payable without any consequence (such as seat belt tickets or parking tickets), and whether there is a bail to be paid in order to be heard on the matter.
After gathering this information, you can then contact a license restoration attorney at a firm like ours (1 855-450-8310) to help you resolve the matter.
3. Resolve Your Old Tickets or Criminal Charges and Lift the Failure to Appear Suspension
Our license restoration attorneys can help you resolve your outstanding tickets by appearing on your behalf. For out-of-state residents, we are often able to appear without a driver’s physical presence in court, and can get your old tickets dismissed or amended to a lesser charge. The outcome of your pending tickets can still affect your license status, so it is important to consider hiring an experienced license restoration lawyer to plan and execute a proper legal defense strategy.
Hire a Lawyer to Handle Your Failure to Appear License Suspension
No matter what your old tickets or summons may have been for, if you failed to appear in court to address it, eventually it will catch up with you. The only way to address a failure to appear warrant or license suspension is to appear and resolve the case. Our attorneys can help you obtain a court date, lift or reduce your bail amount, and resolve the underlying charges in the best outcome possible. Call us at 1 855-450-8310 to speak with a lawyer and find out what needs to be done to restore your driver’s license.
